Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos

Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos are an easy and delicious appetizer and perfect for game day or any potluck! Flavors of BBQ pork combined with cheese and chipotle, these taquitos are packed full of flavor.  Baked taquitos are perfectly crunchy and filled with BBQ pork and cheese, and then dipped in a creamy chipotle ranch sauce.

These are a great appetizer to take to a game day party, but whos says you need a Superbowl as an excuse to make these. Enjoy them for a simple lunch or dinner meal too!

These taquitos are perfect to make if you have left over pulled pork. Pair the BBQ pork with cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and a handful of Tex-Mex flavors and you have a delicious appetizer for any type of party.

We are BIG fans of BBQ pulled pork fans! So these are a fun way to enjoy it a new way. These are super easy and packed full of flavor! Another great thing is that these Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos freeze great too, so you can make extra and have a meal for later too!

These taquitos are so simple to make! Who doesn't love simple? Especially when you are heading to a big game tailgate or a party! The pork mixture can even be made up earlier in the day and pit in the fridge. Then when it is time to start thinking about getting ready to go to your event, assemble the taquitos and put them in the oven.

Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos 

4 lb pork shoulder 

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper 

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp lime juice

10 taco flour tortilla shells

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup BBQ sauce, a sweet BBQ sauce 

1/2 tsp chili powder

For the chipotle ranch sauce: 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp ranch dressing seasoning mix

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp chili powder

Directions for Baked Cheesy BBQ Pork Taquitos 

1. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, chipotle chili pepper, cumin, and lime juice and mix together well to make a marinade. In a large bowl place the pork shoulder and coat all sides with the marinade. Let the meat marinate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. 

2. Cook the marinated pork shoulder in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. Simply add a 1/2 tsp olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot, place the marinated pork shoulder in and lock the lid. Press to Manual setting and set time for 30 minutes. When time has beeped, vent. 

3. In a medium bowl, combine all the chipotle ranch sauce ingredients and whisk together until it is smooth and well mixed. Refrigerate until serving. 

4. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, chili powder, and BBQ sauce in a large mixing bowl. 

5. Remove pork from Instant Pot and place in a strainer to remove any excess liquid. 

6. Add 3 cups of the pork to the cream cheese mixture and stir together until well blended. 

7. Add the cheese and mix until evenly combined. 

8. Add 1/4 cup of the pork mixture to each tortilla and roll up tightly. Place the filled tortillas on a baking sheet fold side down. 

9. Lightly brush each filled tortilla with olive oil. 

10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 425F or until golden brown. 

11. Serve with the prepared chipotle ranch sauce. 

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own

Hot Chocolate Cookies

The Hot Chocolate Cookies are soft and delicious! Enjoy the creamy taste of hot chocolate in cookie form! These cookies are made with hot chocolate mix right in the dough! Each cookie is loaded with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to complete the cookie. Just like hot chocolate these Hot Chocolate Cookies are perfect for any chilly day!

But really perfect for any time of the year!

I love having homemade cookies in the cookie jar. For a sweet treat or a little snack for the kids. These have become my kiddos favorite cookies. They love hot chocolate and love it in cookie form also!

These cookies are really easy to make. The dough is a basic cookie dough and hot chocolate mix is simply added into it. They aren't overly chocolatey but just the right amount for that hot chocolate taste!

Use chocolate chip or chocolate chunks. I used a combination of regular chocolate chips and also the mini ones.

When it comes to the hot chocolate, use any brand you'd like. I used the Swiss Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows. You add the packets directly into the cookie mix.

Scoop out your cookie dough out on the pan. I love using my Small Scoop for scooping out the right amount of dough for baking up cookies.

Top the cookies with a few more Mallow Bits. Either use these Mallow Bits or the dehydrated marshmallows that are in the hot chocolate mix.

After they are baked, let them cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy the mild, but delicious hot chocolate flavor with the super soft centers and slightly crisp edges. Yummy hot chocolate in cookie form, Hot Chocolate Cookies.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Hot Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter, softened 

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

3 1/4 cups flour

4 packages hot chocolate mix with mini marshmallows (reserve the mini marshmallows for later)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Mallow Bits (to top the cookies before baking) 

Directions for Hot Chocolate Cookies

1. Using a stand mixer, mix the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until well blended. 

2. Add the flour, hot chocolate packet contents, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. 

3. Stir in the chocolate chips 

4. Cover and chil for 30 minutes. 

5. Drop dough on baking sheets 2 inches apart when ready to bake. Top each with the Mallow Bits

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy! 

Other cookie recipes:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies 

Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own

Country Quiche

Eggs, cheese, ham, bacon, and onion all baked together in a creamy custard in a deep dish pie shell to create this delicious Country Quiche. So hearty, flavorful, and an easy meal the whole family will love.

You can really add anything to this quiche recipe; other vegetables, different meats, or seasonings. But ham, bacon, and cheese is our favorite way to do it and what my whole family likes.

Quiche is a great brunch recipe! But it is definitely not limited to just brunch! We love it for any meal of the day. We really love breakfast in general for any meal. Plus all my kiddos eat breakfast meals really well. They also like this Farmer's Omelet a lot too!

This Country Quiche recipe starts with a parbake on the deep dish pie crust. Prick the pie crust a few times and then place in the oven for 5 minutes to start off the recipe.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a small skillet on the stove and cook the onions for 2 to 3 minutes, so they have a translucent look.

After the crust is done, remove it from the oven and set aside.

Then it is time to all the ingredients for the custard filling. So using a medium bowl, add the heavy cream, the eggs, garlic salt, pepper, and ground mustard and mix well together. Add the cooked onions into the custard blend and mix them in.

Next it is time to put together the quiche. So add a layer of half the bacon, ham, and cheese in the parbaked pie crust. Then add half the custard mixture. Then repeat with the layers with the other half of the ingredients.

Place on a baking sheet incase of any spillage while baking and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 375F. Then reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.

Let the Country Quiche set and slightly cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Country Quiche

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Country Quiche

1 9 inch deep dish pie shell

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp butter

4 oz. diced ham

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup heavy cream

6 eggs

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground mustard

Directions for Country Quiche

1. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the deep dish pie shell. Bake for 5 minutes at 375F. Remove and set aside. 

2. Melt the butter in a small skillet. Cook the onion for 2 -3 minutes in the butter. 

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, the eggs, the garlic salt, the black pepper, and the ground mustard until fully combined. Add the cooked onions to the mixture and stir together. 

4. Layer half the bacon, half the ham, and half the shredded cheese in the deep dish pie shell. 

5. Pour 1/2 the custard mixture evenly over the first layer of bacon, ham, and cheese. 

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. Layer the rest of the bacon, the rest of the ham, and the rest of the shredded cheeese. Then pour the remaining custard evenly over to top of the quiche dish. 

7. Place on baking sheet in case of any spill over. Bake for 10 minutes at 375F. 

8. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and cook for an additional 30-35 minutes. 

9. Rest to cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving.

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beef and Noodle Casserole

This beef and noodle casserole is an easy comfort meal that is also perfect for feeding a crowd. This beef and noodle casserole is a delicious blend of ground beef in a flavorful creamy sauce, tossed with egg noodles and topped with a blend of Italian cheeses! For sure a meal the whole family will love.

I love a good casserole and I love having casseroles as part of our meal plan. It's a simple recipe that is great to fit in our busy schedule, but yet still having a nice meal. Perfect for a busy weekend or school night.

The egg noodles can cook in one pot at the same time as browning the ground beef. Set them aside after they are done and begin to make the sauce mixture. The sauce mixture quickly goes together. Then the cooked beef and noodles go back into the sauce and it is poured into a baking dish and topped with the cheese blend. Bake and serve.

I love that this recipe is one that you can do different variations to change it up a bit too. Add mushrooms or peppers to incorporate some vegeteables.

Freezer meals are also great and so helpful in the busy season of life. Make up this casserole in the 9x13, cover with foil and place in the freezer for a later time.

Beef and Noodle Casserole

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Beef and Noodle Casserole

8 oz egg noodles

2 tsp olive oil 

1 lb. ground beef, I used 85% lean

salt and pepper to taste

1 small onion, diced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp Clabber Girl Cornstarch

2 1/2 cups beef broth

3/4 cup sour cream

2 cups Italian blend cheese 

Directions for Beef and Noodle Casserole 

1. In a large sauce pan, cook the egg noodles al dente, just a few minutes shorter than instructed on the package. Drain and set aside. 

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until its browned and cook through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Once the ground beef is cooked, remove it from the skillet, leaving the grease in the skillet. With 85% lean, there is just the right amount of grease left. Set aside the cooked beef. 

4. Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pan to saute in the grease for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. 

5. Then add the butter in and stir around in the onion/garlic mixture until melted. 

6. Add in the Clabber Girl Cornstarch and using a fork, stir it in continuously for about 1 minute.

7. Add in the beef broth and in until the mixture is well combined. 

8. Mix in the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheese and stir continuoulsy until melted and well combined. Let simmer for 3 or 4 minutes and sauce will thicken. 

9. Add the cooked ground beef back into the skillet and stir together with the sauce mixture. 

10. Then add the cooked egg noodles, and stir in carefully until they are well coated. 

11. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over top of the casserole. 

12. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Then it is ready to serve.

This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl but my

 thoughts/opinions are always 100% my own

Pizza Twist Sticks

These Pizza Twist Sticks make a great school lunch option for kiddos! They are such a fun idea and super simple to make. Plus they taste pretty darn good! Golden pizza crust with saucy, cheesy goodness inside, and topped with a cheesy/herb mix, you'll definitely want more than one.

It's time to start thinking about school lunches again! Summer is sadly nearing the end and back to school is fast approaching! Do your kiddos have favorites they liked packed in their lunchbox? We pack lunches everyday pretty much and always looking for different things to put in there. My kids love pizza, so this is a fun new way to enjoy it. And just like pizza, these taste great cold as well.

These Pizza Twist Sticks are pretty simple to make and in less than 20 minutes you can have almost a dozen ready. They can be served as an appetizer, a snack, part of dinner, or a tailgate party, along with also for school lunches. They are delicious with a side of your favorite marinara or pizza sauce for dipping!

So the kids love them, but I also love them too! There's not a lot of ingredients and they are simple and fast to make. Plus an added bonus is that there isn't really many dishes to clean up afterwards!

This is an easy recipe! Simply open up the pizza dough and lay it out flat shaping it into a rectangle the best you can. Then using a pizza cutter, slice the dough in half, long wise. Then add the pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni on one half of the dough.

Then cover all that pizza goodness with the other half of the pizza dough. Using a pizza cutter, slice the prepared pizza into 1 inch strips.

Next you'll want to pinch the ends of each pizza twist together. This will help the dough stay together when you twist. At this time you can also give each piece a little twist a few times and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Here is where the filling amount is important. Don't go too crazy with the filling, as it can make it harder to twist them at the end by the filling spilling out.

Then you'll give each twist stick a little coat of olive oil and sprinkle of the cheese/herb mixture for extra flavoring.

Bake at 425 Degrees F for 12 minutes and they're done. Pair with your favorite pizza or marinara sauce for dipping and enjoy!

Great for school lunches, game day, appetizers, or part of a meal! Good luck keeping yourself or your kiddos out of them until they are needed. They're so yummy and an easy on the go!

Pizza Twist Sticks

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Pizza Twist Sticks

1 tube refrigerated Pizza Crust 

1/3 cup pizza sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 

1 package sliced pepperoni

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Pizza sauce or marinara sauce for dipping

Directions for Pizza Twist Sticks

1. Open the refrigerated can of pizza crust and roll it out onto a cutting board. Shape it into a rectangle the best you can.

2. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough in half long ways, so you have two strips.

3. Spread out the pizza sauce in a think layer on one half of the pizza dough.

4. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce evenly.

5. Add the pepperoni slices on top of the cheese.

6. Take the other pizza dough half and place it over the one with the pizza filling.

7. Then slice it into 1 inch strips using the pizza cutter. You will get 10 to 12 strips depending on how big you got your pizza dough rectangle.

8. Pinch the ends of the strips closed. Give each strip a 2 twists and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

9. In a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil and mix together well.

10. Brush a thin layer of olive oil over top of each twist. Then sprinkle the cheese/herb mixture over each twist stick so that is has a nice even topping.

11. Back the pizza twist sticks at 425 degrees F for 12 mintues or until golden brown.

12. Serve the pizza twist sticks with your favorite pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.


They are delicious and so easy to make. Have your kiddos jump in and help you make a batch! Make different variations, just cheese, sausage and cheese, supreme, etc.

Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken is such a great classic comfort food! It may be a Sunday dinner or a cookout with friends, you can never go wrong with fried chicken. Serve it with some of your favorite homestyle side dishes, vegetables, or salad for a complete meal. Pair it with a glass of delicious sweet tea!

This Fried Chicken recipe is super easy and results in delicious crispy fried chicken! For this recipe, the chicken pieces marinate in the buttermilk/hot sauce mixture overnight. Then you dip it in the batter mixture, then fry it.

Double or triple the batch, depending on what kind crowd you'll be serving to, as fried chicken never lasts long.

Fried chicken is a great dinnertime staple when your whole family loves them! It's a delicious and inexpensive main dish for a meal or a meat dish for a potluck carryin.

Fried Chicken 

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Fried Chicken:

3 1/2 lbs chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breast, wings)

2 cups buttermilk

2 tsp hot sauce

vegetable oil, for frying

2 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper 

1 cup Clabber Girl Corn Starch 

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp Clabber Girl Baking Powder 

1 3/4 cups water

Directions for Fried Chicken:

1. Place chicken in a large plastic freezer bag. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce and seal shut. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

2. Remove chicken from buttermilk/hot sauce mixture in freezer bag and lay out on a baking sheet to prepare for frying. 

3. Fill a large skillet about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. 

4. In a small bowl, combine seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper together and mix. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings and set aside. 

5. Using an 9x13 dish, combine Clabber Girl Corn Starch, flour, Clabber Girl Baking Powder, and water. Mix until it is well combined into a batter. 

6. Dip chicken pieces into batter a few pieces at a time. Allow the excess batter to drip off. 

7. Using tongs, slowly place the chicken into the hot oil to fry. 

8. Cook in small batches turning often. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until evenly browned and done. Use a meat themometer to check the internal temperature to be 165 degrees F. 

9. Remove fried chicken from oil and drain on a wire rack over paper towel before serving. 

Enjoy! 

This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl but my

 thoughts/opinions are always 100% my own